air

food

water

The air we breathe, the food we eat and the water we drink – these are three very heavy subjects for California. The ongoing, epic drought has many worrying and wondering if the rest of the golden state will become a desert, like the bottom third already is.

Depending on how old you are and where you get your news data from, the topics at hand are as controversial as the fracking industry causing earthquakes and poisoning our precious water tables. The three concerns here – air, food and water – are all about basic human needs and survival.

Total Escape has decided to branch out and cover new ground for 2015, pointing you to new topics, unheard of information, unseen videos and the wildest ideas you’ve never thought about. Some may be based in reality, while others in speculation and most are of a controversial nature.

Sierra Snow Pack

The snow capped mountains, or lack thereof, should be our biggest concern during winter months (Oct-May) because this is where California gets a lot of its water. The Sierra Nevada mountains trap the moisture, that fill the creeks and rivers, which fill the reservoirs, that feed our farms, that feed the world, has been at all-time-low for snow levels for years now. The drought continues, and now California will need 11 trillion gallons of water to end epic drought.

Not only is this putting a huge damper on snow sports, recreation and the ski slopes, but the lack of snow and water is also causing big problems for the agriculture industry, which the golden state is known for. More than 1,480 domestic well failures in 36 counties have been reported to the state of California recently.